


You're Just Human

by backpackbagel



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Bad Handling of Emotions, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 21:56:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4116265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/backpackbagel/pseuds/backpackbagel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony had it all planned out and now was the time for execution. <br/>“Steve Rogers, will you marry me?”<br/>What he thought he’d heard Steve say couldn’t <em>possibly</em> have been his answer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Just Human

**Author's Note:**

> Set before AoU.

Tony had it all planned out and now was the time for execution.

The press conference he and Steve were attending about the latest attack on New York was _finally_ winding down. Wrap-up statements were nearly over, so it was now or never – well, not really, but he was going to do this, god damn it. Tony Stark didn’t get nervous, he told himself, so he pushed all of the completely non-existent butterflies down and stood up, calling attention to himself.

Then, onstage, with all of the cameras pointing at them, Tony put his helmet down, kneeled on one knee, fished the small box out of a compartment in his suit, and asked, “Steve Rogers, will you marry me?”

If Tony was to judge by his expression, Steve was utterly shocked. He’d put a lot of time and care in keeping the proposal a secret from his boyfriend, which resulted in more than a few arguments, but it had finally paid off.

The room grew silent as the press, Tony, and staff were all awaiting Steve’s response. He’d even told the Avengers – who were only a few floors above them in the living quarters of the tower – what time and channel to watch on television, so he knew they were watching now too. He turned his full attention back to Steve, with his cowl down, his bright blue wide eyes, and his hands held firmly over his mouth in confused emotion.

“Oh my God, Tony,” Steve spoke breathlessly. Tony’s grin grew wider; Steve must’ve been so floored by the surprise that— “...I ...” Whatever his response was, he’d mumbled it so softly that Tony had barely heard it.

That’s why he was pretty sure that he hadn’t heard correctly. “What?” What he thought he’d heard Steve say couldn’t _possibly_ have been his answer.

Steve moved his hands up to his temples in what looked like sheer frustration, and now Tony could see he was visibly upset. _Definitely_ not happy. “I can’t,” he repeated quietly, eyes dangerously wet. Then, he turned and left the stage.

 

“Holy shit.” Back in the living quarters, Clint was the first to speak after a heavy stunned silence. “Plot twist of the year.”

“I do not understand,” Thor mused. “What reason could the Captain have to reject the proposal?”

“Beats me,” Clint shrugged. “All I know is it’s gonna be _really_ tense around here for the next few days.”

“Steve had to have had a good reason, though,” Bruce discussed. “Maybe Tony overlooked something.”

“What, that Cap has commitment issues or something?” Clint joked. “I don’t think so. That guy’s never been anything but head over heels for Stark.”

“Then why would he say no?” Natasha joined. “They’re _both_ love-struck morons – we all knew they’d be headed in the direction of marriage eventually.”

“Well, we _thought_ ,” Bruce corrected.

“Perhaps there more going on here – or with Steven – than we can see,” Thor suggested.

“Like?” Clint asked. “He’s _Cap_. What else could there be? We _know_ him. He’s an open book. He’s had the same daily routine for the past two years. Hell, he goes to the bathroom on a schedule.” Clint looked around at the team, emphasizing, “I can tell you down to a five minute margin of error when he pees. If that isn’t a surefire example that we know everything about him—“

“Do we?” Bruce objected. “Do we know everything about him, I mean? We’re all his closest friends, including Tony, and not one of us thought for a second he’d reject the proposal. What does that say about us?”

“There’s another piece to his puzzle we’re missing here,” Natasha stated, deep in thought.

“I think he’s definitely more complicated than we give him credit for,” Bruce agreed with a nod.

The room settled into an extended, thoughtful silence until Clint idly asked, “Do you think they’ll break up?”

Natasha looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Please tell me you’re not going to ask a question like that when they get back.”

“What? What was wrong with my question?” He shrugged defensively. “It’s an honest question.”

“Clint,” Bruce began. “Obviously this is a big deal, especially for them. There’s going to be some flux in our team for a while, and ask something like that to them, you might just provoke some serious fallout.”

“We _all_ need to tread carefully,” Natasha agreed. “That means we don’t speak about the proposal, their relationship, anything about their significant other, unless we’re spoken to about it first. Got it?” she asked, directing her attention to Clint and Thor.

“Of course,” Thor replied. “I will be most tactful.”

“Aw man,” Clint sighed. “Knowing them, they’ll avoid each other for a month – or longer – until they work out their problems.”

“They have to resolve this in their own way. If need be, we’ll prod them a little, but it’s not our place to pry,” Natasha asserted.

Bruce’s phone started buzzing, “Oh boy. The press is having a field day already—”

The elevator door dinged, and in walked Steve, who still wore an expression of sheer shock on his face. He swallowed hard, and asked, “You saw?”

“Yeah,” Bruce responded gently.

“I don’t—I think—He...” Steve sighed after several unsuccessful attempts to speak.

“You don’t have to explain it to us,” Natasha replied. “Why don’t you lay down for a bit – try to get your thoughts together?”

“Yeah,” Steve answered with a blank nod, and walked off.

 

Tony flew north – far, far north – until he found snow. He’d gotten about thirteen calls from Pepper, two from Rhodey, and none from Steve.

He must’ve missed something. He knew _everything_ about Steve, or so he thought. It wasn’t like they’d never talked about it. Steve had definitely responded well to the idea of marriage and children in casual conversation before, so what went wrong? Was it that he didn’t want to get married at all? Or did he just not want to get married to Tony?

Tony had done _everything_ right, he thought. _Everything_. He kept his drinking to a minimum. He’d had trouble, admittedly, evidenced by the one very well hidden stash he had (which was _only_ for emergencies, he swore). He never so much as glanced at another person, not that he even wanted to. He remembered birthdays and anniversaries (well, for the most part, and with a little help from JARVIS). And they were happy. They were so happy. It had been two and a half years since they first went out – maybe that was still too soon for Steve – but Tony felt like it was the right time. He really, _really_ thought this was going to work.

Maybe not.

He landed his suit in the snowy woods and opened it, stepping into the brisk, cold air. If anyone said Tony Stark cried that day, they were _wrong_. It was just the falling snow.

 

When he got back to the tower, he thought he’d approach Steve. Or maybe not – maybe Steve needed some space—No, he really needed to talk to him and figure out where it went wrong. If there was one thing their relationship taught him over the years, it was that arguing was bad, but avoiding the problem altogether was fourteen times worse.

He inhaled, and then exhaled, gathering himself before knocking on the door and letting himself in. “Steve?”

“Tony,” Steve responded – or more specifically, stated – back from the bed across the room, where he was lying on his side.

Tony closed the door behind him and took a seat on the other side of the bed, facing away from Steve, who was also facing away from him. Man, it hadn’t been _this_ awkward between them since Tony fell off the wagon that one time. “Can I ask why?”

“I... just... I’m sorry, Tony.”

“So, that’s it, then? Are we done?” Tony asked. When he got no response, he asked, “I just... I always thought marriage was something you wanted. I wanted it because you wanted it, so that’s why I proposed, I guess. But maybe... it wasn’t the right time? I don’t know. I just... I need to know where I went wrong.”

“I’m so sorry,” Steve repeated.

Tony grew frustrated. “I’m sorry? Is that all you can say? We’ve been together for while now, Steve – I think you owe me more than that!” Steve didn’t answer. After a moment, Tony stood up and sighed. “Alright, then. You know where to find me. Let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.”

He was getting upset again, but he forced himself to calm down. It was something they both had put a lot of time into practicing, mainly because they were both admittedly hotheads. They knew their problems were worked out much quicker when they weren’t shouting and taking low blows at one another.

And that’s just what this was – another solvable problem. Tony refused to believe that it was the end of their relationship. He could back off the idea of marriage completely if Steve wanted it. He’d do pretty much anything.

But first, he had to get his boyfriend talking to him again. He could do that at least; he knew at least four ways to defuse Steve’s anger, or sadness, or whatever it was, and turn it into laughter. Plus, at this point, there wasn’t anything he wasn’t willing to try.

 

The next morning, he caught Steve in the kitchen with Clint and Bruce. He had just sat down with a bowl of cereal, so Tony knew he had at least three point two minutes worth of cereal eating to make his point before Steve fled.

“Morning,” he greeted as he took a seat at the table. Steve visibly stiffened up, while Clint and Bruce mumbled awkward greetings. He couldn’t blame them, after all – they were probably worried a shouting match was about to ensue, and hell, Tony couldn’t be sure that it _wasn’t_ going to happen. Still, he had to do what needed to be done, and now was the time to do it.

He tossed some tabloids he had just picked up onto the middle of the table, all of which had headlines about ‘Captain America’s reason for throwing Iron Man to the curb.’ Clint incredulously mumbled some sort of expletive under his breath, and Bruce raised an eyebrow and shook his head at Tony, suggesting that this may not have been the most appropriate course of action.

But Tony knew Steve, and he knew what to do, so he was going to do it. “So, which one was it?” Tony asked, spreading out the trashy magazines. “Is it because my ‘alcoholism became too much?’” he questioned, holding up one, and then pointed to another while saying, “This one says I’ve been putting on too much weight, which, I won’t lie, kinda stings. I _am_ getting older, and the tummy’s not as cooperative anymore, but _ouch_ , right?” He held up another. “This is my personal favorite – I didn’t know you were in a secret relationship with Thor—“

“Tony,” Steve gave in with an exasperated look. “You know that stuff isn’t true.“

“I don’t know, this one’s pretty detailed. According to an ‘insider,’ Thor’s ‘sexual prowess’ is just something I can’t compare to.”

Clint broke out into laughter, which he immediately tried to stifle, but failed. Bruce cleared his throat chidingly. “I’m sorry,” Clint choked out between laughs, now that Tony and Steve were both looking at him. “But does it really say ‘prowess?’”

Tony matched Clint’s grin. “You know, babe,” he began, turning back to Steve. “If I’m just not cutting it in the bedroom, we could try some new things. I wouldn’t mind adding in a new partner, if Thor’s more your style—“

Steve’s face reddened. “Oh my God. We’re not doing that.” Tony counted this as a victory because this was the most Steve had spoken to him since.

“Why not?”

“Because we ended it,” Steve replied, scooting his chair out to drop his empty bowl in the sink.

“Whoa, whoa,” Tony cut back. “ _No_ , we didn’t.”

“Yes, we did.”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

“A relationship is a two-way street, Tony.”

“So now you’re breaking up with me?!” Tony asked heatedly, standing up to meet Steve. Well, damn. This was definitely not going the way he wanted it to.

“I thought that was clear.”

“Clear? Clear how?”

“Well, I did tell you I wasn’t going to marry you,” Steve replied decisively.

“That doesn’t mean we’re over. I don’t need a piece of paper to prove my love for you, and you know that.”

Steve seemed to be getting increasingly frustrated. “It’s _over_ , Tony. It didn’t work out.”

“Yeah, I’m not going to believe that until you at least tell me why.”

“I don’t _have_ to tell you why.”

“I’m not accepting that.”

“We’re _done_.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree.”

With that, Steve simply gave him an incredulous look, shook his head, and left the room. Tony found the nearest wall and lightly, yet repeatedly, banged his head on it.

“You know, I think SHIELD used to have a pamphlet on workplace relationships and how to deal when they go downhill,” Clint quipped. “I’m sure I could still find a copy for you—“

“Shut it, Barton.”

“I’ll admit, you’re handling this break up a lot better than any of us thought you would.”

Tony returned to the table and paced around it. “That’s because this doesn’t make any sense. If I could make sense of it, I could blame myself and get into a drunken stupor and move on, but I can’t for the life of me understand why he said no. We were doing so well. Weren’t we? Did I miss something?”

“Not that we know of,” Bruce offered.

“I’m _going_ to get down to the bottom of this. Steve’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m not just gonna let him go. Even if he wants to end it, I won’t. It’s not going to happen.”

“I can’t tell if that’s a great attitude or an awful one. But I agree – there’s something terribly fishy about all of this. Steve’s acting very out of character.”

Tony was quiet for a moment. “You don’t think he’s actually fallen for someone else?” Tony asked, words careful and nervous. “Right?

“Except for Thor?” Clint joked.

Tony frowned. “Funny.”

Clint shrugged. “As if. He’s totally and completely head over heels for you.”

“What if... what if some reporter sent him some shopped images that made it look like I cheated on him? I didn’t—“

“Tony, he knows better. He’d ask you first,” Bruce chuckled.

“What if he has some sort of terminal illness? And he’s doesn’t want to be with me to spare my heart the sorrow of his loss?”

“Alright, buddy,” Clint said. “You have been watching _way_ too many soap operas.”

Tony pouted. “Steve got me hooked. They’re addictive. Have you seen the latest episode of ‘Earth’s Mightiest Lovers—‘”

“No no no, no no! Not yet! No spoilers!”

“See, you watch it too! You can’t call me out on it—”

“I can’t help it! The stupid cliffhangers—“

“Exactly!”

“Alright, that’s probably my cue to go,” Bruce said with a sigh. “I’m going to do some... reading... or something.”

 

“Hey, Thor,” Steve greeted as the demigod walked into the gym where Steve was working out. “Did you want to spar? I could use a chance to get out some pent up energy.”

“I am always up for training, my friend,” Thor replied. “However, the reason I’ve come here today is to address another, more sensitive matter. Even though it is against our teammates’ wishes, I wish to speak with you on the matter of Stark’s proposal.”

“Against whose wishes exactly? Bruce and Natasha, I’m guessing?”

“They mean well, but I fear they have approached this particular situation with far too much hesitation.”

“No, I think they were pretty spot on,” Steve answered sternly, returning to the punching bag.

“I would agree had I thought that this was by any means a matter of a wavering heart, but that is not the case... is it?”

“Oh? Then why do _you_ think I said no?”

“That is a mystery to me. I had hoped to lend an ear, if you need one,” Thor said calmly, placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder and guiding him away from pummeling the bag.

Steve sighed, and sat on the nearest bench. “I’m... an idiot.” Thor waited for him to continue. “You want the truth? Here’s the truth: I just got really damn scared.”

“What is there to fear? You trust him with all your heart.”

“Yes, he is, but I don’t... I don’t know if I’m ready to get married. I wish he had given me some kind of heads-up. He _never_ seemed interested in the idea of marriage to me. I have no idea where this came from!” Steve answered with frustration. “I need... I needed _time_ to make a decision like this, and he asked me in front of all of those people who expected an immediate answer. I panicked, and I said no. I’m an idiot.”

“A union so sacred as this must be treated with respect—Respect I fear Stark did not understand in his hasty planning of this proposal. Still, he means well... as do you. Could you not simply admit to him the truth?”

Steve nodded, face red. “I could... and I should, but... I’m embarrassed to hell about it. I should’ve taken Tony to the side and talked to him about it, but I didn’t, and one thing led to another – I was embarrassed how badly I’d embarrassed him on television – and I couldn’t find the words, and I just kind of... broke up with him. I’ve dug myself into a deep hole here.”

Thor smiled gently. “If you wish to be with him, you must put aside your pride.”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. “You’re right. I have to be honest. And I’ve embarrassed us both enough already.”

“There is no shame in caution. It is not such an easy decision. But know this: Stark is such a man that will continue to give you his love no matter what path you choose.”

Steve smiled. “Thank you, Thor.”

 

“Tony?” Steve called as he knocked on the door to Tony’s workshop. There was no answer, and Steve’s entry code wasn’t working. “JARVIS, is Tony in?”

If JARVIS had the ability to sound unenthusiastic, he was certainly doing so when he replied, “I have been instructed to neither inform anyone that sir is in nor that he is not.”

Steve rolled his eyes. He was well aware of how to get around Tony’s specific instructions. Tony had tried this whole ‘locking Steve out of the lab’ thing quite a few times before. “Where did you receive that instruction?”

“Inside Sir’s workshop.” So Tony _was_ inside.

“Can I go in?”

“Unless it is an emergency, sir is not receiving visitors.”

“He told me to come here if I wanted to talk,” Steve answered. “Tell him I need to talk to him.”

There was a moment of silence and JARVIS replied, “He would like to relay to you that he will accept no further attempts at the ending of your relationship.”

“This isn’t that. Unless he doesn’t let me in. Then I really will break up with him... again.” Steve wouldn’t. But it was as good an empty threat as any.

After a short moment, the lock on the door clicked open and Steve let himself in. If anyone thought that Tony was doing well during their ‘breakup,’ they hadn’t been down to his lab. The place was an absolute disaster zone – there were projects torn apart and tossed aside. He thought he smelled something burnt, and his secret liquor cabinet – the one he thought Steve didn’t know about – was wide open.

“Tony?” Steve called again, before he promptly found the genius sitting on the floor, leaning against one of his cars, and holding tightly onto a bottle of whiskey. Steve took a seat next to him – this wasn’t the first time he found Tony like this – he knew how to deal with it. “You’re not supposed to be drinking that.”

Tony swallowed down another gulp of whiskey. “Can’t do much else. I fucked up.”

Steve frowned. “No, you didn’t. I owe you an apology.”

“If you say ‘I’m sorry that things didn’t work out between us,’ I’m going to throw up on you.”

Steve scrunched his nose. “ _Really_?”

“It’s gross, but that’s how it’s gonna be, hon. I actually think there might be a little coming up now... Nope, false alarm. I swallowed it.”

“That is... _disgusting_ ,” Steve replied, snatching the bottle from Tony. “But that’s not what I was going to say.”

“Gimme that.”

“I’ll give it back to you if you listen to me.”

“Give it back _first_ , then I’ll listen.”

“Okay, I’m just going to start talking, and if you don’t want to know what I have to say, then it’s your loss.” Tony huffed, but Steve took a deep breath and continued, “I didn’t really mean to say no, when you proposed.”

Tony’s face lit up. “So you meant to say yes?”

“Well, no, I didn’t. I didn’t know what to say because I don’t know if I want to get married or not.”

“Huh, Barton totally called it.”

“Called what?”

“You having commitment issues.”

“I _don’t_ —Whatever. Maybe I do. I don’t know. I just... I needed more time than I was given to make a decision, so I panicked. I should’ve just told you that, but I’m a moron. Everything seemed so much worse in my head.”

Tony examined him for a few short moments while Steve could think of nothing else to add. Finally, Tony responded, “You’re not a moron.”

“No?” Steve asked as he shifted so he was sitting next to Tony and leaning against the car. Tony was staring intently across the room, so Steve decided he’d do the same. “I kinda feel like one.”

“Nah,” Tony answered with a shake of his head. “You’re human.” He nodded to himself, as if he were proud he found the right word. “That’s all it comes down to.”

Steve turned his head towards Tony. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “About this whole thing.”

“Not breaking up with me, then?” Tony asked, eyes still trained forward.

“Not if you’ll still have me.”

Tony turned and looked Steve in the eyes, their faces only inches away from each other. “Course I will.” Steve leaned in for a kiss, but Tony faked him out, hopping quickly to his feet. “But I’m retracting my marriage proposal.”

Steve couldn’t help but break into a grin at Tony’s mischievous game. “Is that so?” he asked, remaining on the floor and doing his best to look unaffected.

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, as if it were obvious. “You don’t get to reject Tony Stark. Tony Stark rejects everyone else.”

Steve scrunched his nose playfully. “I rejected you on national television. Don’t think I can take that one back.”

Tony held out a hand to assist Steve to his feet, and Steve gladly took it, using the motion to smoothly wrap an arm around Tony’s waist. “I’ve already got this all planned out.” He paused for a moment, thinking, and then specified, “How you’re gonna make this up to me.” He used Steve’s short stunned silence to slide his own arm around Steve.

“And how can I make it up to you?” Steve played along, smiling.

“Well,” Tony started, leading Steve to the lab entrance. “First, you’ll call a press conference.”

“Will I? And what will I tell them?”

“You’ll confirm the rumors about you and Thor, and then tell them how sorry you are that you thought for even a minute that Thor’d be better in bed than I am. When describing your sex life with me, try to use the words ‘legendary,’ ‘awe-inspiring,’ and ‘marvelou—‘”

Steve grinned devilishly. “I dunno if that’ll fly, Tony. His ‘sexual prowess’ is rumored to be beyond reason—“

Tony snorted. “I’m the definition of ‘sexual.’”

“Okay.”

“Really, I am.”

“Sure.”

“Remember that.”

“Oh, I will,” Steve chuckled, planting a firm kiss on Tony’s forehead. 


End file.
